RMA/Performance Counters

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:56 pm

Hi,

I've been using AHM for nearly 4 years now, but only for url and ping test. The need has arisen to get deeper into the program.

I've installed the latest version AHM 4.86 and RMA 2.02
My test environment has two machines - win2000pro and win2000 server. I can connect to both. On the Pro box I can get Pref counter info, but not on the server. I can get cpu and drive space reading on the server but not through pref counters.

This tells me the RMA is working on the server (to some extent) Preforms as expected on the Pro workstation.

I'm only running 3.71 in production, so all of this testing is on the trail version 4.86. I can't upgrade unless I know it will do what it's supose to.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:37 pm

My test environment has two machines - win2000pro and win2000 server. I can connect to both. On the Pro box I can get Pref counter info, but not on the server. I can get cpu and drive space reading on the server but not through pref counters.

Need more information:
- Which system has installed HostMonitor and which system has installed RMA? Probably HostMonitor is installed on some 3rd system? Where is installed RMA? On both systems (W2K Pro, W2K Server)?
- Do you perform Performance Counter test directly or using RMA?
- HostMonitor / RMA installed as service? application? What account do you use to start applications/services?

Regards
Alex

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 8:47 am

HostMon is installed on a 3rd system
RMA is installed on both the server and the work station
RMA is running as a service on both
HostMon is not running as a service in this test environment, but would in production.
"Local System" account is used to start the services.

Do you perform Performance Counter test directly or using RMA? Not sure what you mean. In HostMon the "test by" property is set to the agent on each box.

Thanks

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 11:39 am

Now I understand configuration.
Recommendations:

1) do not use address at all or use address of the local interface when you setup Performance Counter test.
What I mean? The same counter (for local system!) you may specify in 4 different forms:
\\hostname\object\counter
\\IP.address.N.N\object\counter
\\127.0.0.1\object\counter
\object\counter
Its the same counter, but often Windows responds to 3rd and 4th request and returns error when you use 1st or 2nd form. Looks like some permission issue...

or
2) start RMA under administrators account instead of "local system". It should solve this problem and it will be useful when you want to use single RMA to monitor several systems.

Regards
Alex

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 12:01 pm

Thank you.

I had already figured out to use counters form a different machine. The problem with that work around is not all of my machines are running the same programs with the same counters (SQL, IIS, etc).

Changing the service to start as admin didn't fix the problem.

Thank you for you help and quick responses. If the work around is acceptable to upper management then we'll upgrade.

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 5:27 pm

Changing the service to start as admin didn't fix the problem.

Recomendation #1 did not help either? Probably some counters are disabled. Try Extensible Performance Counter List utility, available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... layLang=en
It allows you to disable/enable counters.

Regards
Alex

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 8:01 pm

Yes #1 did work, but has limitations. I will also try the link you posted. Thanks again.

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 10:10 pm

If you can retrieve \object\counter but cannot retrieve \\hostname\object\counter under admins account, probably Remote Registry Service is not started on the system

Regards
Alex

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Fri Dec 17, 2004 11:41 pm

Very possible, I'll check Monday.

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Mon Dec 20, 2004 10:05 am

Remote Registry Service is running. I tried disabling it just to see what would happen. With RRS stopped, no data is returned to HM (tests fail)

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 5:00 pm

All Performance Counter tests fail when you stopped service? Even tests that use local syntax (\object\counter)??? Its not normal

Regards
Alex

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 6:06 am

I wasn't testing on the local machine. If I stop the service on the remote machine that I'm testing then all pref counter test on that machine fail.

I used the local syntax to set the test and then change the IP to the remote machine. (localhost\object\counter --- 10.1.1.1\object\counter) This has been the only way I can set a test for a remote server.

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 2:28 pm

I wasn't testing on the local machine. If I stop the service on the remote machine that I'm testing then all pref counter test on that machine fail.

I am confused again. I thought you cannot retrieve Perf Counters from remote system. Now you say that it works unless you stop the service. So, what the problem is??

I used the local syntax to set the test and then change the IP to the remote machine. (localhost\object\counter --- 10.1.1.1\object\counter) This has been the only way I can set a test for a remote server.

Do you mean that HostMonitor and RMA successfully retrieve counter VALUE from remote system but HostMonitor cannot retrieve LIST of the counters from remote system? List that appears in "Select a counter to monitor" dialog?
If yes, it means we did not understand each other from begining

Its by design. RMA does not provide list of the counters to HostMonitor. It will be implemented in future.

Regards
Alex

Mfox · Post by **Mfox** » Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:45 pm

KS-Soft wrote: Do you mean that HostMonitor and RMA successfully retrieve counter VALUE from remote system but HostMonitor cannot retrieve LIST of the counters from remote system? List that appears in "Select a counter to monitor" dialog?

Yes--almost

I can retrieve the counter list form workstations only (even remote) but not from servers. I know the counters are coming form the remote workstation because of the counters I'm seeing - (SQL) which is not on the monitoring box.

If yes, it means we did not understand each other from begining
Its by design. RMA does not provide list of the counters to HostMonitor. It will be implemented in future.

Sorry for the confusion. Do you have a time frame for this implementation?

Right now the work around is to build a workstaion with the same software as the servers I want to monitor. I run the risk of needing software counters that may not run on a workstation. This is not pleasing my boss.

Thanks again.

KS-Soft · Post by **KS-Soft** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 6:06 pm

Sorry for the confusion. Do you have a time frame for this implementation?

Not very soon, probably in version 5.30-5.40

Right now the work around is to build a workstaion with the same software as the servers I want to monitor. I run the risk of needing software counters that may not run on a workstation. This is not pleasing my boss.

Yes, not very good situation... But if you can login to server and check list of counters, you will be able to type name of the counter manually.

Regards
Alex